Michael Shellenberger writes for Commonsense.news the following sensible article:
It's Time to Mandate Treatment of the Dangerously Mentally Ill
Dangerous psychotics are abroad on our streets, endangering and killing law-abiding citizens, Shellenberger correctly pins the blame for this on organizations which advocate for the insane's right to be (my words) "as crazy as they want to be."
This is due largely to the influence of the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and lesser-known disability rights advocacy organizations and coalitions, which have sought to de-fund psychiatry, de-police cities, and de-stigmatize untreated mental illness.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York affiliate of the ACLU, and other progressive “disability rights” groups have sought to weaken the law (Kendra's Law), claiming it is authoritarian and racist, while also seeking to prevent police officers from responding to 911 calls relating to the mentally ill.
Why do the ACLU and other progressive organizations do this? An attorney for the ACLU told me that her organization believes the mentally ill are too impaired to be held accountable for breaking the law—but not impaired enough to justify the kind of legal guardianship we provide to people suffering from mental disabilities such as dementia.
The underlying problem is that the ACLU and other progressive libertarians view the mentally ill as victims of society deserving of special rights, including the right to avoid the consequences of their behavior. They hold the view that, “Quite simply, there is no place for coercion,” in the words of a recent disability rights coalition’s letter to the governor of New York.
Add to this the too-willing assistance of the so-called "Soros DAs" who refuse to prosecute. As a result urban dwellers get to live (and die) "inside the asylum," alongside the homicidal insane. Coercive treatment, with safeguards, is exactly what is required.
